Cotswolds and Historic Cities

Landing at London Heathrow Airport, collect your vehicle and head out in to the English countryside. Passing on to the eerie Salisbury Plain make your way to the historic city of Salisbury itself, a charming town which is home to cobbled streets, market squares and Britain’s tallest cathedral spire which also houses Europe's oldest working clock and a copy of the original Magna Carta. With Salisbury as your base explore outside of the city visiting the surrounding mysterious stone circles which dot the barren plains including prehistoric ruins such as the Neolithic Old Sarum, the iconic Stonehenge (included) and the lesser known but equally enigmatic stone circle at Avebury.

Overnight: Salisbury

Journey details: 80 miles / 1hrs 30mins approx * (starting in Heathrow travelling via Stonehenge)

Today discover some of the Southern Cotswolds hidden gems. First stop might be Longleat House, one of England’s finest country estates home to the Marquesses of Bath for centuries. Passing north you can visit the medieval fortress ruins of Farleigh Hungerford Castle scenically set in the Frome valley before continuing to the village of Lacock; you may recognise this picture-perfect village whose streets and historic Abbey have featured on the big and small screen alike in period dramas and films including the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and the Harry Potter Movies. Finally make your way to nearby “Castle Combe” which is often described as England’s prettiest village. Continue to your overnight accommodation close to the city of Bath, your base for two nights.

Overnight: Bath

Meals: Breakfast included.

Journey details: 70 miles / 2hrs 30mins approx *

Dedicate today to exploring the elegant Regency city of Bath. This Cotswold spa town oozes Georgian opulence and is home to so many sites of historic importance that the entire city has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. Visit a wealth of architectural highlights including the intricate neo-classical Pulteney Bridge, the Georgian Circus and the magnificent Royal Crescent. Visit a number of quality museums, exhibitions such as the Jane Austen centre or the period house exhibition at No1. Royal Crescent. You may choose to enjoy the café culture and boutique shopping scene before visiting the Elizabethan Abbey and city’s highlight at the spectacular Roman Baths and Pump Room which date back to the 1st century AD.

Overnight: Bath

Meals: Breakfast included.

Departing Bath head north in to the heart of England and the Cotswolds countryside, a region renowned for its quintessential English landscapes. Your journey will take you over rolling patchwork fields, through scraggy woodlands and over trickling streams. You can choose to stop in one or more of a host of chocolate-box Cotswold villages and quaint market towns made up of honey-coloured cottages with thatch rooves and bosting eccentric names such as Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold. Stunning historic sites you can visit include Browadway Tower, the 13th century Hailes Abbey and the medieval manor at Sudely Castle, linked to King Henry VIII and 2 of his wives. By afternoon arrive in historic Stratford-upon-Avon, your base for the next two nights.

Overnight: Stratford-upon-Avon

Meals: Breakfast included.

Journey details: 80 miles / 2hrs 20mins approx *

Spend today exploring the picturesque, medieval town of Stratford-upon-Avon. This charming town is synonymous with Tudor timberwork buildings, open greens and boats bobbing on the river Avon not to mention a wealth of heritage sites dedicated to the town’s most famous resident William Shakespeare. Explore heritage sites including Shakespeare's Birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's Farm. With Stratford as your base you may choose to venture the short journey north to Warwick Castle believed by many to be England’s greatest medieval fortress.

Overnight: Stratford-upon-Avon

Meals: Breakfast included.

Journey details: 20 miles / 45mins approx * (Round-trip to Warwick)

Today, return south towards London. On route, stop at the charming village of Woodstock home of the glorious baroque mansion of Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill. A short onward drive brings you to Oxford where you can see the college quads and “dreaming spires” of the world-renowned Oxford University. Soak up the unique academic ambience of the town which once inspired the likes of Tolkien, CS Lewis and Oscar Wilde and explore the famous colleges such as Magdalen College, Christchurch College and New College Hall which along with the magnificent Bodleian Library featured as parts of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. Make your way to London Heathrow Airport and return your vehicle.

Meals: Breakfast included.

Journey details: 85 miles / 2hrs 10mins approx * (travelling to Heathrow via Oxford)